


Nightmare

by cr8zymommy



Category: Backstreet Boys
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-07
Updated: 2014-05-07
Packaged: 2018-01-23 22:58:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1582505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cr8zymommy/pseuds/cr8zymommy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two of our boys are caught in a robbery, and they aren't alone. Their pregnant friend is with them. Will they manage to make it out of this alive? I'm really horrible at summaries and this is an old, old story of mine.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Nightmare

Laughter bounced off the walls in the hotel room.  No one could breathe for laughing as Nick Carter tried to imitate a monkey in their game of charades. Brian was laughing so hard he had almost rolled off the couch, which made AJ laugh even harder. Even Howie and Kevin were clutching their sides with laughter. From her spot on the couch, AJ’s best friend Summer shook her head and chuckled, resting her hands on her enormous belly. She tried to contain her mirth. At eight months pregnant, and with twins, it wasn’t smart to bounce things around too much in there.

The band was doing a United States tour, promoting their new album, and it had been a blast. Summer, despite her pregnancy, had wanted to come along with them. She refused to be away from her best friend, and her children’s godfather. Plus, Brian and AJ were planning to come out halfway through the tour, in a television interview. She wanted to be there to show her support for the happy couple. They had been together for a year, and their relationship was only getting stronger.

When everyone could stop laughing, Kevin raised his hands up. “Ok, ok, why don’t we get our grub together an start a movie?” They had decided to dedicate the night to themselves as a group, and were intent to have fun together.

They all scrambled to find the snacks that they wanted. Summer took hold of AJ’s hand when he stood up, and he got ready to help her to her feet. But she just pulled on him, getting his attention. “I want a chili dog.” She said. Both AJ and Brian laughed. Not a day went by that she didn’t want a chili dog.

“We’re out of chips!” Nick yelled, at the same time that Howie called “The soda’s gone!”

No one moved for a minute. Then AJ sighed and rolled his eyes. “I’ll do it.” He grumbled. He held his hand out for everyone to toss money in and then stuffed it in his wallet. No one liked to make the store runs, but luckily this time there was a gas station at the end of the block.

“I’ll be back.” AJ said, leaning in to kiss Brian goodbye. Gags echoed through the room amidst lots of laughter.  Brian gave them all the finger, then kissed AJ again for good measure.

“Wait!” Summer called. She was trying hard to leverage herself up off the couch. Quietly, Brian reached over and took her arms, bracing her and allowing her to get to her feet. He knew better than to say anything.  She could get prickly about the size of her belly sometimes. When she was steady, she grabbed her coat and pulled it on. “I’m coming too.”

“Sunshine, sit your ass back down. Last thing you need to do is walk down the block and back.” AJ lectured, hands on his hips. He wasn’t afraid of her temper. She wasn’t afraid of his either. She just glared right back, grabbed her purse, and headed to the door. He was left with no choice but to follow her.

“You’re such a bitch sometimes.” He said conversationally, twining his arm through hers as he caught up. Summer just smiled.

As they waited for the elevator, they heard Nick call out “I’m coming too!” He caught up with them just as the doors opened.

Nick and AJ picked on one another on the way down, just as they always did with one another. Summer stood between them with the look of a mother who was used to her squabbling children. She endured it through the elevator ride, and out onto the street. But then she saw AJ reach to light a cigarette. With quick hands she stole his pack from him, and then tossed it in the garbage as they passed by.

“God damn it, Sunshine! I just bought those!” AJ glared at her.

“You won’t kill yourself while I’m around, and I don’t want to breathe that shit in.”  That reminder did the trick. AJ sighed, but stayed quiet.

They kept a slow pace, for Summer’s sake. It was good for her to walk, but they didn’t want to push her too hard. “So,” she said suddenly. “What’re you guys gonna do for your anniversary, J. That’s in like, a week, right?”

“Yep, I think we’re just gonna lock the hotel room door and ignore the world. It’s not often we get away from everyone.”

Nick opened the door to the convenience store, letting them in before following behind. “I think that’d be cool, J.” He called, pulling his ball cap down low. There weren’t many people in there, but enough that he didn’t want to bother with being recognized. AJ had his hoodie on, with the hood pulled up, hoping to hide himself enough.

“Yeah, we thought we’d maybe get some movies, or just order in some really bad Chinese an sit up and play a few card games. We used to love playing cards together.”

“Is that what you call it?” Summer piped in, giving him a mischievous look. Before AJ could respond, she grimaced, an locked down on his hand reflexively. Watching as closely as he was, AJ gasped. Holy shit! He looked up, locked eyes with Nick for a moment, then looked back down at Summer.

Nick rushed over, taking a hold of her arm. They stood there, huddled in the back of the store by the soda, focusing on the woman who looked like she was going in to labor. “I think it’s time to go to the doctor.” She told them calmly, still gripping AJ’s hand as she rode the contraction.

So focused on her were they that they never heard the jingle as the door opened. But they all three heard the gunshot, and the voice shouting for everyone to get down on the floor and stay there.

NEXT PART  
  
AJ moved without thinking. He grabbed Summer’s arm and lowered her as gently as he could to the ground. He prayed that if they stayed down, the men would leave, and they could get to the hospital quickly. Nick slid down with them, his arms going around Summer to support her. Her contraction had passed, and her face was pale, eyes wide with fear.

“You, put the God damn money in the fucking bag!” A male voice shouted. Another one was telling everyone to stay on the ground and no one would be hurt.

Fear was a metallic taste in AJ’s mouth. He prayed that it would be over soon. That they would leave. But, no one heard his prayer. There was suddenly a shout, another gunshot, and then some of the customers screamed. AJ lifted slightly, trying to see what was going on. One of the guys, dressed with a ski mask on, was at the register, still holding his bag. But the cashier wasn’t there anymore.

His friend, also wearing a ski mask, rushed over to him. “What the fuck, man? You shot the cashier!”

“He pressed the fucking cop button! Shit, shit, we gotta bail, now!”

But before they could even move to leave, sirens sounded in the distance. AJ thanked God. They were saved. They could get Summer out of here. But the crooks thought faster than that. They dropped all the blinds on the windows, shutting off view to the outside except through the front door.

“You, you, and you! UP, now!” The first guy shouted, pointing at customers. Two gentlemen who looked to be in mid to late thirties, and a teenage boy. He directed them to grab some of the store aisles and move them toward the front of the store. Quickly they built a barricade with the shelf that was the tallest. It effectively blocked off the line of windows at the front of the store. That left the only open point as the door, and they had that locked.

Summer made a squeaking sound, and AJ spun around toward her. She was leaning back against Nick, clamped down on his hand. The contraction kept her in its grip for only a minute or so, then her body relaxed again.

“We have the store surrounded!” A voice boomed in from outside. “Please turn your selves in peacefully, and no one need be hurt!”

“Yeah fucking right. They’re gonna kill us, Frank! I can’t go to jail!” The second man swore, turning to look at the guy who was obviously the ringleader.

“Shut up, you idiot. We’ve got hostages; they’ll do what we want! We just gotta wait for their call.” Frank told him.

Sure enough, the phone on the counter rang. It scared everyone out of their skin. AJ heard a few people gasp.

Frank strolled over, scooping the phone up. He didn’t bother with pleasantries. “I have hostages in here, and I will shoot them if you do not do what I want. Now, I want a two million, cash, and a helicopter out of here. Now I’ve seen the shows where cops think they’ll be fools and play it brave.”

The man’s eyes roamed around the room as he listened to the cop on the phone. He yanked his ski mask off, tossing it to the floor. A sick smile twisted his face. “Carlos, grab all the hostages, front and center. Cop wants a body count.”

Carlos moved through the store, shouting at everyone to line up by the barricade. He looked over to the corner they were in and pointed the gun. “You group, back there! UP and moving, NOW!” AJ looked at Nick, and they both stood, leveraging Summer to her feet. They kept her body shielded with their own and moved to the front of the store.

There were two seats there, meant for people to watch out the window and drink their coffee. They had been pushed forward to make room for the barricade. There was a small Latino child in one of them, no more than five years old, with a woman who was probably her grandmother standing in front of her. The teenage boy was in the other. When he saw them helping Summer forward, he jumped up and held the chair out for her.

Both Nick and AJ stood protectively by her, trying to make their bodies shield hers. AJ glanced around at everyone, his mind racing. The child, her grandmother, the three of them, the teenage boy, two adult males. That made a total of eight hostages.

Frank had just finished his count as well. “Now, see, we’ve got eight hostages in here. The way I look at it that makes me in charge. I’ll give you an hour to get my shit here, or I swear, I will shoot them one by one!”

There was silence for a moment. Summer gripped tighter to AJ’s hand, her face white. The little girl next to them let out a small sob, quickly choked back. Her grandmother wrapped her in a tight hug, whispering in her ear in Spanish.

Laughter caught all their attention again. “You can have two, but I get to pick them.” Frank said. Then he hung the phone up, and turned back to them all.  “Well, two of you are very lucky. The cops think I’m stupid, asking me for two hostages. Well, I’ll show them. You and you, get up here. You get to go free.”

NEXT PART

The two middle aged men looked at everyone else, then at one another. One of them, with gray at his temples, spoke up. “Please, take the child. I’ll stay.”

Carlos came forward, grabbing him and yanking him toward the door, the gun pointed at his head. “You do what you’re told!” he snapped.

“Now, now, Carlos. Calm down.” Frank said, smiling all the while, as if his friend was just an overexcited child. AJ watched the interaction between them, filing information away in his brain. It was obvious that Frank was in charge, and that Carlos was a little unbalanced.

The two men were shoved to the door, then out of it as Carlos unlocked it. Carlos made to close the door again, but Frank held a hand up, then took aim and shot out the door. Quickly they both came back in under cover.

Bile rose in AJ’s throat, threatening to spill out of him. The little girl jumped, clinging to her grandma as she started to wail.

“Shut that brat up!” Carlos yelled, turning to look over at them. The grandmother tried to calm her down, but the child was too scared. AJ watched Carlos yank his mask off as well; watched him raise his gun as he shouted again “I said shut her up!”

He didn’t think about it, but simply moved over to the little girl, pushing Nick to stand in front of Summer. AJ hated turning his back in any way to these two lunatics, but he couldn’t stand there and watch them shoot a child. He knelt in front of her, but didn’t try to touch her. Instead he murmured to her in Spanish.. He told her how brave she was, and asked her not to cry, Then he whispered a few more things, until she was calm again, quiet.

AJ stood back up on his feet, giving the grandmother a smile. “Listen to your abuela, nina. She will keep us safe.” He whispered, touching the girls nose lightly before pay attention to the others.

“How touching.” Frank drawled out, bouncing the phone in his hand. “But that isn’t really up to you, is it?”

Knowing better, AJ kept his mouth shut. This man was just trying to see if he would rise to the bait. The phone ringing again stalled any more taunting between them. “Did you like my message?” Frank said as his greeting. His grin grew wider. “That shows you that I make the rules here, no one else. You think to gamble with their lives, well, I’ll show you something then. Carlos here has been making something, haven’t you, Carlos?”

They had been distracted from the crazier of the two for a few minutes. But now all of the hostages looked over as Carlos joined them, holding a hat in his hand. As he walked toward them, Frank gave both his hostages and the cops his explanation. “I decided that you need proper incentive for things. I’m gonna have them draw numbers from this hat, one through six, and for every hour that you don’t give me what I want, I will shot them in numerical order.”

AJ closed his eyes tightly for a moment. When he heard Carlos step close he opened them, reaching to pull his number out of the hat. He watched as Nick and Summer both silently took theirs. AJ looked at his number, 3, then over to Nick and Summer. Nick showed him a 5. Summer showed a 2.

Without thinking, Nick switched his and her numbers before anyone could see. AJ looked down at the little girl, caught her showing her Abuela a six. He blessed his lucky stars. No matter what Summer and the child would be last in line. But he didn’t need to look at her Abuela’s number to know what it was. The elderly woman’s face was white as a sheet, and she clutched her little girl close. She had the number one.

NEXT PART

Kevin tapped his foot on the ground, checking his watch for what felt like the millionth time. Where the hell were they? He had tried AJ’s phone, but it rang in the room. That wasn’t unusual. AJ forgot to take everything with him if he wasn’t reminded.

But, they’d been gone for a half an hour now. They should have been back already. Something nagged at Kevin, a worry buzzing in his ear. Maybe something had happened with Summer. Maybe she had gone into labor. She was so close to term; they should have made her stay with them.

Unable to explain why he was so uneasy, Kevin moved away from Brian and Howie and pulled out his phone again. This time, he dialed their security. “I know it sounds stupid, but they’re not back yet.” He said, after explaining the situation. “Would you just run down to the market and see if everything’s ok?”

Not even five minutes later his phone rang back. “You find them?” he answered, noticing that both Howie and Brian had turned to watch. Hearing Marcus’s response, Kevin felt the color drain from his face. He looked over at his friends as he closed the phone. “There’s a hostage situation at the gas station.”

The glass in Brian’s had slid from his fingers, spilling as it hit the carpet. For a moment none of them could speak. Then they all moved, lightning fast, grabbing coats and rushing out of the hotel. All they knew, all they could think of, was that they had to get there, and fast. Brian prayed as he ran. _Dear God, please let them be ok. Please, God, please, let them be ok!_

…………………….

Summer squeezed her eyes closed, trying to fight off the pain of the next contraction. They were still far apart, almost fifteen minutes. But she didn’t know how much longer that would last. Twins were notorious for trying to make quick appearances into the world, or for having complications. She clamped down on Nick’s hand, riding through the pain, keeping her jaw cemented shut. She would not break down in front of these men. She would not give them the satisfaction of her pain.

When it finally passed, she loosened her grip and opened her eyes. The child’s grandmother was looking at her with sympathy on her face. There was no doubt that she recognized the signs of labor in her. Leaning close, she murmured something to Summer in Spanish. AJ translated quietly. “She says that you’ll be ok. To be strong, and hold on.”

Ever since the men had threatened the little child, AJ had placed himself protectively by her and her grandmother. He had discovered the little girl’s name was Rose, short for Rosalyn. The elderly woman was Consuela.

The teenage boy sat on the ground close to them, but he didn’t speak. He was white as a sheet, and scared straight down to his bone. His eyes never left the two gunmen as they paced and whispered to one another.

“J.” Nick whispered, tipping his head closer to AJ’s. “We’ve gotta get help for Summer. She’s gonna be in full blown labor soon.”

AJ’s eyes darted to her, and then back to the gunmen. He was also keeping a close eye on them. “I know.” He whispered back. “But there’s not anything we can do yet. We’ve got to hope for the best with the cops.” All of them looked toward the clock on the wall. There was five minutes until the hour the gunmen had allowed the cops was up.

Sucking in a deep breath, Nick moved away from the table, shrugging off AJ’s hand. “Excuse me.” He called out. Summer bit her lip to stop herself from yelling at him to shut up and get back there. Fear filled her heart when she saw Carlos turn and point his gun at Nick.

“Get back over there and shut up!” Carlos snapped.

“Look, this woman needs medical attention.” Nick continued to step forward, getting closer and closer. “She’s in labor. We’ve got to get her to a hospital. She’s having twins, see.”

In a flash, Carlos pulled his hand back and pistol whipped Nick. The young man hit the ground with a thump, clutching at his face.

“I told you to shut up! Now get back over there!”

Frank stepped forward, putting a hand on his partners arm, lowering the gun down. “Now, Carlos, be reasonable. We’ve got to keep them all alive, or the cops won’t care. They’ll just bust in here.” He looked down at Nick, smirking as he saw the cut on Nick’s face. “You, blondie, get her over behind the counter. If she starts to give birth, you better hope she survives, or you’ll die right behind her. Now move!”

Nick had to bite back the sharp retort that sprung to his lips. Instead of charging them, like he wanted to, he moved slowly to Summer and helped her to her feet. As they moved toward the cashier’s counter, where the two men had already cleared out the cashier, AJ stood up and put his hands up in the air.

Frank saw this, and cocked his head. He was a scary one. He acted so polite to them, but it was obvious how much he enjoyed what he was doing. How he enjoyed the fear and pain of others. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“I was gonna go to the shelves and get some supplies for them. He’ll need things, to keep it sterile and safe.” AJ explained.

A smile grew on Frank’s face that sent chills down AJ’s spine. “Get back over there, Carlos will take care of it.” Frank looked at the clock, then back at his hostages. “You all need to pull out your numbers. Time’s up.”

NEXT PART

The three friends reached the gas station in record time. The whole parking lot was full of cops and paramedics. Brian saw the ambulances first, and thought his heart would stop. He ran up to the first cop he saw. “Please, God, tell me what’s going on!” he begged. He knew he sounded crazy, but he didn’t care.

“I’m sorry sir, but you need to leave.” The cop said gently, stepping out of Brian’s reach.

“Please, my friends are in there! Are they ok?”

Hearing that, the cop’s features sharpened. “You have friends in there? How many?”

Kevin and Howie caught up then, and Kevin was the one to answer. “Three of our friends are in there; two men and a pregnant girl. She’s due anytime, officer, with twins. I don’t know if the stress of this will trigger her labor.”

Officer Mark, they saw his name on his tag, called a paramedic over and warned them that there was a pregnant woman, possibly in labor, on the inside. Then he turned back to the three friends who stood shoulder to shoulder. “Look, we don’t have a lot of time. The guys in there have made some threats that we need to deal with. But anything you can tell us about the hostages would be a great deal of help.”

“Have they figured out who they have, yet?” Howie asked nervously. It was obvious by the confusion on his face that the cop didn’t understand it. Running a hand through his hair, Howie looked back toward the store. He could see the barricade through the windows. God, he wished he could get a glimpse of them. To just be able to see that they were alive. “The two guys in there are part of our band, we’re on tour. We’re the Backstreet Boys. That’s AJ and Nick in there. An as soon as they figure out who they have, they’re gonna demand a helluva lot of money.”

Before the officer could answer, three gunshots cracked through the still night air. Everyone turned, staring at the store, as their hearts dropped. Oh God. Oh sweet God. Who had been shot?

……………………..

“So, which one of you is number one?” Frank asked, his grin a mile wide. He looked from one of them to another. “Is it you back there, pregnant girl? Or you, blondie?”

AJ glanced at Consuela, saw the resolve firm on her face. She straightened her spine, wrapping her pride around her like a cloak. “Watch my baby.” She murmured to AJ in Spanish, her eyes pleading with him. “I am all she has left. Keep her safe, please.”

What could he do but nod at her, this brave woman who stepped forward to meet her death with her head held high. “I am one.” She said in her best English. The gun in Franks hand turned as he looked at her. Still smiling, he raised it to point at her. The woman looked at AJ. “Keep her safe.” She whispered one last time.

AJ’s eyes moved from the woman to the child. He realized that if the man shot from where he was, there was a good chance that Rose would be hit. Without thinking, he dove forward, knocking her to the ground and shielding her as Frank fired his gun three times. Fire blazed through AJ’s thigh when he hit the floor. Then a thump sounded behind him, and he knew Consuela was down.

Carlos came over, grabbing the woman and hauling her to the back storeroom where the clerk had been put. Only once she was gone did AJ move, pulling the girl out from underneath him. She was whimpering and clutching at his shirt as if her life depended on it. Frank had already turned away, unconcerned by it all. He was moving to the phone as it started to ring.

AJ cradled the little girl to his chest and rocked her, trying to hush her tears, and knowing there was nothing he could do for her. Anger ate at him like a wildfire. Sweet God. They had just shot an innocent grandmother. Jesus. They had killed a sweet, kind old woman, right in front of her granddaughter, and they didn’t even bat an eyelash about it. What were they going to do? What was going to happen to them all?

That was when he caught sight of the blood seeping slowly down his leg, creating a pool by him. Shit. There wasn’t any pain, no crippling agony; just a strange numbness there. While Frank spoke to the man on the phone, and Carlos did lord knows what, AJ scooted so that he was behind the chair slightly. It was enough that he could shift Rose to one side, and pull down his baggy jeans on the side of his leg.

Sure enough there was a wound there. Best as he could tell, it was through and through. When he touched it, the fire flared, burning him and making him bite down to keep from crying out. He did the only practical thing he could do. After much convincing, he got Rose to sit next to him, and then he stripped his shirt off from under his sweater. It wasn’t huge, but after tearing it a little, he managed to wrap it tightly around his thigh and tie it off. The blood soaked it, but hopefully it would stop it after a fashion. Luckily his jeans were dark, and should hide the blood if it managed to seep through. The last thing he needed was anyone seeing it.

Once he had his pants back up, he gathered Rose to him and pulled himself from the floor to a chair. Pain echoed in his leg, but he could deal with it. There were more important things to think of. He whispered soothingly to Rose while his mind frantically went to work. They had another hour to figure out something, or the next set of gunshots was going to be Nick. He wasn’t going to let that happen.

NEXT PART

“I suggest you work a little faster. We warned you what would happen. Don’t make us prove it again.” Frank finished, hanging the phone up with a smirk. He felt confident that they would get their money now. The stupid cops would know they meant business.

At that moment Summer made a low moaning noise. Unable to help himself, AJ passed Rose off to the teenage boy, who had said his name was Tyler, and he shot to his feet. “Please!” he said, raising his hands up again to show he was unarmed. “Please, just let her go. She needs a doctor!”

“I thought we told you to sit down and shut up.” Frank said casually, looking over at him with a cool eye. “Blondie here will take care of her. If he values his life, that is.”

“He’s not a doctor, though.” AJ persisted. He knew he was playing with fire here, but the fear for his best friend overrode everything. “It’s twins, man. There’s too much that can go wrong!”

Carlos stepped out from around the soda machines, his gun pointed at AJ’s chest. But once again, Frank put a hand on his partners arm, forcing him to lower it. “Now, now, Carlos. We can’t shoot him. We need them as leverage. For that, they have to be alive.”

For a moment, Carlos looked like he was actually pouting. Then his face lit up, and he turned to Frank, asking a question no one else could hear. But AJ saw the look on Frank’s face, and felt his blood turn to ice. He took an instinctive step back, but Carlos was advancing on him slowly. AJ shifted his course, trying to keep him away from the little girl.

With a quick move, Carlos punched AJ in the face, then in the stomach, sending him down to his knees. Wheezing, AJ clutched his belly, trying to catch his breath. Before he could, something hit him in the back of the head, sending him all the way to the ground. The gunshot wound in his leg screamed, protesting against the pressure being put on it.

Carlos kicked a foot out, connecting it with AJ’s ribs. He heard Rose cry out, and Tyler trying to soothe her. The one look he got showed Tyler pulling the girl close, tucking her in his coat and using it to cover her face so she couldn’t see what was happening. That was all he had time to be grateful for before Carlos’s shoe connected with his nose, and his world went dim.

…………………….

The remaining Backstreet Boys stood inside the barricade, waiting for news of who had been shot. They couldn’t move, couldn’t speak, until they knew that those they loved were ok. Their eyes were riveted on the store. When a cop walked over to them, Brian thought his knees would give out. _Please, not them. Please God, don’t let it be them!_ He felt a flash of guilt, knowing that if it wasn’t his friends, it was someone else’s life that would be snuffed out. Someone else’s family who would be mourning.

“Your friends are alive.” Officer Tim told them right off the bat. He watched them sag into one another. Brian turned into Kevin’s embrace, burying his head in his cousin’s shoulder. Tears coursed down all of their faces.

“Thank God.” Howie whispered. “They’re ok.”

“We’ve got an hour to get them a helicopter, and two million dollars, or else they’ll shoot another hostage.” The Officer told them. He wasn’t going to sugar coat it for these people. In his mind, they deserved the truth. “We don’t have that kind of money on hand to just dole out to a couple of crooks.”

“I can get it.” Kevin said quickly. “I just have to get to a bank, but I can get it.”

For a moment Officer Tim hesitated. Then he nodded his head, and took Kevin with him to a nearby cop car. In a flash they were pulling out, racing to find a bank that would be open at that time of night.

Brian sat down on the curb. He felt Howie join him, and reached out to take his friends hand. Together they prayed. Both for the lives of their friends, and of the others who were trapped inside.

…………………….

AJ slowly came back to consciousness. He ran his tongue over his teeth, tasting blood. Most of his body ached. His nose throbbed in tune to his heartbeat. But he lifted his head, looked over at Tyler to make sure that him and Rose were still there. The teenager nodded at him, still holding Rose wrapped tight in his jacket. When AJ’s eyes flashed toward the counter, then back to Tyler, the teenager gave him another reassuring nod. Thank God. Everyone was still alive.

He could hear voices faintly debating somewhere nearby, but his brain wasn’t ready to process it all yet. A pair of hands grabbed hold of his sweater, and he was being dragged across the floor. He held in the scream that wanted to tear out of his throat, but couldn’t stop the grunt when he was dropped.

Suddenly Nick was there, gauze and bandages in his hands. Someone above them barked an order, and Nick nodded. Then he was pulling at AJ’s sweater, taking it up and over his head. “I got you, J, don’t worry. I’m just gonna clean you up.”

AJ’s mind was clearing slowly. He turned his head and saw Summer laying propped against the wall, her coat bunched to support her back. She was sweating and panting slightly, but her face was livid. “You idiot. Why’d you go and do that?” she hissed at him.

Pain lanced through AJ as Nick sat him up, checking him for bleeding. “Nothing looks like it tore open.” Nick said. “But your ribs look, well, how well can you breathe?”

AJ ignored his question. “Just grab that ace wrap there and bind me.” He ordered, his ears straining to pay attention to the fellows on the floor. He could hear them whispering, but wasn’t able to make out the words.

Meanwhile, Nick’s hands were busy wrapping the ace bandage around AJ’s stomach, trying to bind his ribs nice and tight. He froze suddenly, hands still holding the wrap out. AJ turned to look at him and saw the expression Nick wore, saw where he was staring.

“Shh!” AJ hissed, trying to make sure Summer didn’t hear him. “I’m fine.”

“Fuck, J, what the hell? Did they...” Nick couldn’t bring himself to say it. He trailed off, looking back up at AJ’s face.

“Just keep wrapping, Nick. It’s nothing. I got in the way when they shot Consuela. I don’t want Summer to know, or else she’s gonna panic. That’s the last thing she needs to do right now. We need to keep her as calm as possible.”

“She’s gotta get out of here, J. She’s not gonna be able to hold things off much longer. They’re coming closer and closer.” There was worry on Nick’s face, adding extra lines around his eyes. AJ sucked in a breath as Nick tucked the ace wrap in and helped him put his sweater back on. His mind was racing. There was only forty five minutes left of their hour. What were they going to do? He had to make a plan, and fast.

NEXT PART

It seemed like it took forever for Kevin to find a bank that was open that was in his branch. It was a popular one, he made sure that it was one he had access to almost everywhere. But finding one that late at night was a miracle. They weren’t technically open, but there were night auditors there that were able to call their manager in at Mr. Richardson’s request.

By the time they were heading back to the gas station, lights blaring, it had already been a half an hour. Kevin prayed they would be on time.

…………………….

AJ scooted his way close to Summer. He tried to bolster her spirits with a smile, but a contraction gripped her at that moment.  Grabbing her hand, he breathed through it with her, ignoring the dizzy sensation that it caused for him.

When it finally stopped, she was sweating again. “God, I think they’ve dropped some. It hurts. Alex, I don’t want to have my babies here.” Her eyes filled with tears, locking on to him. “I don’t want them to be born around blood and death.”

A part of AJ wanted to drop his head down and just lay there. But the bigger part of him knew that he couldn’t. Time was running out. “I will do everything I can to see that happen, Sunshine.” He promised her. So far, there was only one solution that he had come up with, and he knew that neither of them was going to like it very much.

The phone rang yet again. Instinctively they all looked to the clock, then over at Frank as he answered it. “You have what I want?” He snapped out.

There was silence for a few minutes. Then Frank turned toward to look at them behind the counter. “You!” he barked. “Tattoo boy, get over here. You’re gonna talk real nice to them, prove to them you’re all alive. But say the wrong thing, and I swear to God, I’ll shoot you.”

…………………….

Officer Tim walked over to where Brian and Howie were with a cell phone in his hands. They had already been told what was going to happen. He was calling Frank and requesting to speak to a hostage, as proof of life. They wanted Brian and Howie to tell them if they could identify the voice, to prove it really was a hostage and not a trick.

When he got to them, Officer Tim held the cell phone out and put it on speaker. There was a moment’s silence, then “Hello?”

A sob tore from Howie, and Brian thought that his knees would collapse. “Alex? Oh God, you’re alive.”

Surprise was evident in AJ’s voice. “Bri? You’re there?” A loud grunt sounded, cutting off the end of AJ’s question. For a second there wasn’t any sound but for AJ’s labored breathing. Brian bit his lip to keep from crying out to him. They were beating him in there! But he couldn’t break down. He had to be strong, for AJ. Had to let him know that they were holding it together out here, and would be there for him.

Finally AJ spoke again. “They want me to let you know that there are five of us left in here. One of which is a child. They shot her grandmother first.” There was a wealth of pain in that statement. As if realizing it, AJ’s voice firmed back up. “Summer is in labor. But everyone is healthy. They weren’t lying on that. Blondie is with her.”

“We’ll get you out, Alex, I swear it. Kev’s on his way to get some money for them. They should be back any time now!” Howie tried to reassure him.

That was when AJ said something that chilled them to the core. “Better tell him to get more. We’re almost out of time and there’s only one way I can think of to fix this.”

Brian was the first one to realize what AJ meant. With wide eyes, he looked from Howie to the cop. But a clicking sound let them know the call had been disconnected. Was AJ going to do what he thought he was? No. They had to be wrong. There was no way AJ would be dumb enough to tell them who he was.

NEXT PART

AJ pressed his fingers to his temple, trying to chase away the ache that was there. His other arm wrapped around Rose, who was clinging to his side. The phone call had given him back his strength. Hearing Brian speak to him, the love and strength in his voice had been enough to give him back his courage. He knew what he should do now, in theory. It was just going to be putting it into practice.

Absently he rubbed at his stomach where Frank had punched him while he was on the phone. That had been a world of pain that had taken a few minutes to come out of. When they’d hung up on Brian, Frank had ordered AJ back over with the girl and Tyler. That was fine. Nick had been listening to him on the phone, so he had probably figured out what he wanted to do.

While the gunmen had a whispered discussion away from everyone, AJ took the time to scoot close to Tyler and whisper to him. “Listen, some things are about to go down, kid. I don’t want you to panic, or worry too much, you hear me? I’m going to fix all this. But I need you to do me one favor.”

Tyler was quiet, but he nodded. The kid was quick, but scared.

“Ok, good. When everything goes down, and things may look a little heated, I want you to keep Rose with you, ok? There’s a chance she may try to stick with me. But I’m going to get you guys out of here.” When AJ said that, Tyler’s eyes went wide, but he nodded again. “Good. Ok, Tyler, outside you’ll find a group of guys. They’re my band mates. I don’t know if you’ve heard of us, I doubt I’m recognizable with a bloody and broken nose.” His nose throbbed as if agreeing with that statement.

Tyler cut him off, speaking for only the second time since they’d been there. “Holy shit, I do know you. My girlfriend loves you guys. You’re the back-“

Quickly AJ covered Tyler’s mouth, glancing around to make sure they weren’t heard. When he felt it was safe, he dropped his hand down. “That’s right. So when you get out there, Brian and Howie will be there, and probably Kevin by then. I want you to take Rose to them, you hear me? Don’t let the paramedic’s run off on her. Tell Brian that the grandmother asked me to watch out for her. That she’s not hurt, but it’s important they wait for me, or I could lose her. You got that, kid?” Again, Tyler nodded.

This was it, then. There was a little over five minutes. If he wanted to do this in time to save Nick’s life, he needed to move fast. What he hadn’t told anyone, what he knew he couldn’t, was that he had heard Frank and Carlos whispering. They weren’t planning on leaving anyone alive to identify them. They wanted to use Rose as a last hostage to escape with, but they still were planning on killing her as they got away.

These men were greedy, through and through. Money spoke volumes to them. So, he was going to give them an offer they couldn’t refuse. But first, he had one last thing to do. “Rose.”

The little girl looked up at him, her eyes wide and moist. “Listen to me, ok? I want you to stay with Tyler for a little while. Can you do that for me?”

Her hands gripped his sweater tightly as she shook her head. From the side of his vision AJ could see Tyler watching them, trying to understand the Spanish that flowed back and forth. AJ didn’t bother with English, imagining that the little girl probably couldn’t speak it.

“He’s going to take you outside to a friend of mine. He is very special. His name is Brian, and he will take care of you until I come out, ok? Trust me, you’ll like him. He’s very silly, and his hair is really curly. I like to pull on the curls sometimes. You do that, and he’ll smile at you, I promise.” He continued to offer her senseless little bits until she was smiling hesitantly at him. By the time he was done, she transferred easily to Tyler’s arms, eager to go see her new friend.

Well, it was now or never. He used the chair to pull himself up, ignoring the growing numbness in his leg. That was something to be dealt with later. Here, now, he had something important to do. He didn’t bother looking toward where Summer and Nick were. He didn’t want to see their faces when they realized the truth.

“Excuse me!” he called, catching everyone’s attention. Both Frank and Carlos turned.

“What is it, you idiot? Didn’t he tell you not to bother us?” seethed Carlos, his hands shaking.

“I got something important to say. I think your boss there is gonna wanna hear it.”

Someone hissed his name from behind him; whether it was Nick or Summer he didn’t know. He had eyes only for Frank. “Look, I’m unarmed, and if I get stupid, you can always shoot me. But at least let me come over there and show you what I’m talking about. It’s a bit important.”

After a moment’s deliberation, Frank waved him forward. Where they were in the store was perfect. Along his way AJ snagged one of those teen magazines, J14 or something like that. He flipped pages, scanning them briefly, keeping his eyes on Frank. When he got to them, he had found what he wanted.

“What would you say if I told you that, in exchange for releasing everyone else in here, I can get you a helluva lot more than a cool two mil?”

Carlos looked flabbergasted, but Frank’s eyes had taken on a speculative look. “How much more?” he asked.

“Take me to a bank and I can get my hands on an easy ten mil. Or my friends outside can go and get it for you.” AJ told them. They didn’t have to know he was lying. He could, if he so chose, get his hands on much more than that. But in his eyes, ten million was nothing compared to the lives of those in the store.

“We’re not leaving this place without our money and our copter.” Frank said evenly. AJ could tell that his brain was whirring. The prospect of that much money was incredibly enticing.

“My friends are outside; they’ll get the money on my say so. But, I won’t say a damn thing to them unless you let everyone in here go free first, without killing them.” Here AJ could be firm. No more cowering by the tables. In this moment, he was calling the shots.

“I think he’s lying, Frank. How could a scrawny guy like him get ten mil? It’s impossible!” Carlos seethed. “Lemme shoot him, please? Come on!”

AJ rolled his eyes and handed the magazine to Frank. After a moment’s hesitation, the man took it. He looked down at the page that was open, then back up to AJ, who was taking off his sweater. Slowly Frank’s eyes grew wider and wider. He looked at the picture, then at AJ’s tattoo’s. “Holy shit, Carlos. We hit the jackpot. Kid’s not lying. We’ll get the copter and the ten mil.”

“Only if you let them go.” AJ insisted.

“What’s to stop us from shooting them and ransoming you?” snapped Carlos.

Images popped into AJ’s mind of his friends, of Rose, being shot down like animals for slaughter. He had to shudder his way past it and keep his voice firm. They would sense weakness. “Because they’ll only give you the money if I say so, and if you kill another person, I’ll let you kill me before I give you anything.”

“We could kill them and beat the shit out of you until they pay to get you back from us.”

Now AJ smiled at them. He held his arms out, gesturing at his already beaten body. “Do your worst. But I guarantee you won’t get one red cent if you kill a single person in this store.”

For what seemed like the longest minute of AJ’s life, Frank stared at him. Then he nodded. “You’ve got a deal, pretty boy.”

NEXT PART

There was only a few minutes left until the next deadline was up, and Kevin had yet to return. Brian paced nervously, wishing that there was something he could do. Two good friends and the love of his life were in there. Yet he was stuck waiting out here. That ate at him more than anything. He couldn’t stand being helpless.

Music coming from is pocket sent him almost flying through the air. With Howie watching, Brian pulled his phone out. He didn’t recognize the number, and almost didn’t answer it. But something told him to, so he flipped the phone open, saying “Hello?”

“Bri, it’s me.”

“Oh my God, Alex!” His words caught the attention of everyone around him. Within seconds Brian was surrounded by cops. They gestured for him to open the phone and put it on speakerphone. As he did, Kevin and the other officer finally returned. They joined the group just as Brian was saying “What’s going on?”

“Listen, Bri, I need you to keep yourself calm. You’ve got the most level head of everyone. These guys know who I am, and they’re willing to cut a deal with me.”

“Cut a deal?” Brian asked. “What kind of deal?” He had a very bad feeling about this.

“Here’s where I need you to stay calm. Summer’s progressing to full blown labor. She needs to get to a hospital, and soon. They’ve agreed to send out all the hostages, but they want ten million.”

The gasps from the group cut AJ off for a second, but he didn’t give them time to voice their protests. “Just wait, hear me out. My banks down the road, and you’ve been on the account for a while. Now, I called them first, and they’ve sent someone to open up the branch for you. They guaranteed me that they were sending out an armored car with the money in it, and they’ll be waiting for you. Get it, and bring it back here, please.”

Something about this wasn’t right. “If they’re releasing all the hostages, how are they guaranteed the money?” Howie asked. But Brian already knew the answer. Sweet, kind, stupid AJ had sacrificed himself for everyone else.

“They’re keeping me.” He confirmed. “Look, I don’t have time to argue. You need to get down there, bear, an get this money. They’re gathering up the others right now. I’ve only got about thirty more seconds before they come back over and can hear me again. There’s a little girl that’s coming out, bear, and I need you to take her with you. Please. Don’t let anyone else take her anywhere. She’s to stay with you. Her name’s Rose.”

“God, Alex, baby..”

“I love you, Bri bear. Remember that; I love you. Now go do this for me.”

Brian was openly crying by now, the tears leaving tracks down his face. “I love you too. As soon as I get her, I’ll go. I promise.”

“I knew I could count on you.” There was tenderness in AJ’s voice that brought Brian’s tears on faster and stronger. Then the line went dead. Everyone around them was silent, their eyes riveted on the phone. Brian wanted to scream at the sky, to howl and wail and beat something. “Why do you have to be the noble one, J? We had the money.” He whispered to the phone.

Someone from the front of the crowd shouted. The front door was opening, and a teenage boy came out, a five year old girl in his arms. He had her tucked in his coat, and the instant he was outside he ducked low and ran straight for them. Behind him came Nick, who was helping a very pale Summer waddle her way out.

Even as he thanked God above for delivering his friends back to him, a part of Brian cried. The other half of his heart was still inside of there.

NEXT PART

Summer was resisting being loaded into the ambulance. She protested loudly, trying to insist that she was fine even as a contraction had her bending almost double. “I am not leaving here until he walks out those doors!” she shouted to one of the paramedics who was trying to move her. “So get your fucking hands off of me you piece of spineless shit!”

Beside her Nick was trying to convince her to go as well. “Sum, it’s what he wants you to do. It’s the whole reason he did this, so you could get medical attention!” he insisted.

“I don’t give a _shit_!” she panted, anger lighting her face. “There is a perfectly good ambulance I can have them in right there. I am not leaving, Nicholas Carter, and I’d like to see you try to stop me!”

Concerned for her and the babies, the paramedics got her into the ambulance with promises that they wouldn’t leave. To themselves they said they wouldn’t leave unless things started to look like they were going wrong.

Meanwhile, Brian was standing with Tyler, looking at the little girl in his arms. Even knowing that he had to hurry, he didn’t want to rush it with the child. She was traumatized enough for one day. Tyler had quickly caught him up on how she had lost her grandmother, and latched onto AJ. But she had yet to peek out of Tyler’s coat to look at him.

Racking his brain, Brian tried to remember the Spanish that AJ had been teaching him. He had been learning fast. It was something that he had always found sexy with AJ, listening to him speak Spanish, and he had nagged at him to learn.

“Rose, my name is Brian.” He tried. The accent was horrible, but he hoped the words were right. “You know my friend in there. He asked me to look out for you until he can come back.”

Suddenly her little face poked out. Of all things, he saw her eyes go to his curls. One small hand came out, grabbing one of his curls and pulling on it lightly. Just like AJ always did. A smile grew on Brian’s lips, lighting up his face. That seemed to be enough for her. She held her arms out, and willingly climbed into his arms.

Once he had hold of her, Brian didn’t waste any more time. He rushed off down the road, walking fast. The branch of the bank AJ used was only a block and a half down the road.

…………………….

AJ breathed a sigh of relief when he watched Summer head out the door. His hosts locked the door behind her, and gestured AJ back to his seat with a wave of their guns. “Your guy better come through this this, pretty boy.” Frank warned him. “Or I swear to God, you will regret fucking with us.”

“I don’t trust him, Frank.” whined Carlos. “We shoulda just took the money an split, not try to make more deals. He’s a celebrity! They’ll do anything to get him back!”

“Exactly, you idiot. Including shell out a shit load of cash, and help us get outta here!”

Even though he’d asked Brian to get the money, AJ held no illusions that he was going to come out of there alive. Even if, by some miracle of God, he got out of the store, he doubted he’d get a few steps before they shot him, and then opened fire on anyone who was there. AJ knew that the cops weren’t going to deliver the helicopter. They would never do that. But he had to hope that once they had the money, they would let him go. Despite knowing what he did, he couldn’t squash that small hope that he would see his lovers face, even just one more time.

The only real hope he had was if he managed to get the gun away from one of them. The likelihood of that happening was slim. But he found himself watching anyways, waiting for an opening, an opportunity.

It came sooner than he had thought it would.

…………………….

Brian was back like a flash with the money in a suitcase. He had never run so fast or hard in his entire life. His heart beat so hard he felt like it was going to burst from his chest. All he knew was he had to get back there. His lovers life depended on it. As the gas station lights came into view, he picked up his pace, cradling Rose against him. He had to get there!

…………………….

The two gunmen had been arguing for a few minutes when Frank finally threw up his hands and stormed toward the backroom. When he was out of sight, Carlos placed his palms on the cashier’s counter and bowed his head down.

Before he had time to change his mind, AJ climbed quietly to his feet. He grabbed a large wrench off the store shelf as he went. There was no hesitation in his mind as he snuck up behind Carlos and raised the wrench. Just as Carlos turned and gave a shout, AJ brought it down and against his head, knocking Carlos out cold with one move.

AJ dove for the gun, but another shot rang through the air. He hit the counter with a grunt, the world going slightly hazy. Through it all, his hand found the gun.

NEXT PART

Using the momentum of the shot, AJ closed his hand over the gun and let his body slide over the edge of the counter. He landed with a thump on the ground, and for a moment his vision threatened to black out on him. Through sheer force of will he kept it at bay, and cocked the gun.

“You lying little sonofabitch!” Frank shouted, advancing slowly. He had his gun aimed; ready to shoot the instant he had a line of sight. “You fucking piece of shit, get out here and fight like a man!”

Blood poured out of AJ’s shoulder, and numbness spread down that arm. He was only going to have one shot, and with his left hand at that. He needed to make sure he made the most of it. Soon, before he lost consciousness.

…………………….

The gunshot echoed outside, freezing Brian when he heard it. Then he doubled his pace, not realizing that he cried out AJ’s name as he did so. He shoved his way through people, heading for the police barricade. But hands grabbed him, pulled him backwards. He strained against them, wanting to go to him. In his arms Rose let out a wail, calling “Alex!”

Swat had moved forward, sneaking up on either side of the door. They had their guns ready. The sight made Brian sick. He felt hands touching him, felt Kevin and Howie come up behind him, and Nick join him at his side. Vaguely Brian saw the cut on Nick’s face and wondered about it. But only for a second.

As Swat burst through the front door, and gunfire split the air, Brian held his breath and prayed.

…………………….

“Get out here and die like a man!” Frank shouted.

His words seemed to echo around the room. Just as AJ decided that it was now or never, he saw the door burst open. Shots flew overhead for a split second, and then the room was silent.

Someone came around the edge of the counter, and AJ aimed the gun at them, his mind panicking. He was not going to die here! Then his eyes saw the word SWAT on the man’s chest, and he dropped his hand down. Everything started to go a little hazy. He was saved.

He barely registered the people around him until they lifted him to his feet. Then he cried out, his body protesting to the movement. Someone shouted for a paramedic, and the next thing he knew, he was being lifted onto a gurney and people were all around him. Then the gurney was moving, and cold air was nipping at him. Something poked the wound on his shoulder, but he felt nothing, only that curious numbness.

One thing got his attention, though. One voice that echoed through the crowd and went straight to his heart. “Alex! _Alex_!”

He rolled his head sideways; saw Brian come running through the crowd, Rose balanced on his hip. The next instant he was there, touching his face, jogging alongside the gurney. “Oh God, Alex, you’re alive.”

“Brian.” He said. Just his name. That was all he needed. Everything else in the night paled in comparison to the sight of his lovers face. He had thought he would never see him again. “I love you.”

“I love you too, you giant idiot.” Brian said, tears making tracks on his face. The paramedics started to bustle him out of the way, folding the gurney as they slid him into the back of an ambulance.

Just as the doors started to close, and the medicine they were giving AJ started to take effect, he heard Brian call out “I’ll be there when you wake up, baby, I swear, so I can hit you for being such an idiot!”

AJ drifted off into unconsciousness with a smile on his face.

NEXT PART

AJ drifted in and out of consciousness for a while. Each time he came to the surface, something would start to drag him back down. But each time he came up, it was for a little longer, and a little longer. There were some times he heard voices; other times he felt hands in his, squeezing his fingers.

When he opened his eyes again, his hospital room was bright with sunlight. His body ached, but there was something that seemed to keep it at a manageable level. He looked at the IV in his hand and chuckled to himself. Morphine. God bless the man who had invented that.

Still slightly groggy, he looked around his room. Flowers and balloons were everywhere. While he’d been out it looked as if a whole florist had moved into his room.

Then his gaze moved across the figures on the couch. A smile curved AJ’s lips.

Brian lay on the couch, his long body stretched out as best as he could. In front of him, snuggled close in his arms, lay Rose.

Almost as if he sensed AJ looking at him, Brian’s eyes fluttered open. They automatically looked over to AJ’s bed, as he did every time he woke. This time he saw AJ’s eyes were open, and that his lover was smiling at him. Carefully Brian disentangled himself from the small child, tucked his coat over top of her, and then rushed over to AJ’s bedside. He grabbed his hand and leaned down, pressing their foreheads together.

They stayed like that, neither of them speaking, for a few minutes. It was enough for the both of them to be together. When Brian finally pulled back, he dropped the side rail down and sat on the edge of the bed. “You gave us a helluva fright.” He said quietly.

AJ had the grace to look sheepish. “Yeah, well, scared myself too. How’s Nick, and Summer?”

This time it was Brian’s turn to smile. Everything about his face softened. “Nick’s fine, just worried about you. Summer delivered two healthy boys. She named them James and Thomas.” The honor in that was not lost on either of them. James, for Alexander James. An Thomas, for Brian Thomas.  Her two closest friends in life. “I think that Nick’s a little sweet on our sunshine.” Brian confided.

Memories of Nick protecting her in the store, of staying with her through her contractions, him swapping numbers, flashed through AJ’s brain. He found that the idea suited him. “Good. He’ll be good to her.” Then he looked over at Rose. “What about her?”

Brian gave a soft sigh. “She doesn’t talk. Since we left there, she hasn’t said a word. But she’s refused to leave. Child services came to take her, and she pitched a fit, screaming and crying. Nick says he figures you’ve got some harebrained idea about taking her in.”

“I’d thought about it.” AJ admitted. “She doesn’t have anyone, Bri. They murdered her only relative right there in front of her. If I hadn’t jumped on her, they probably would have managed to hit her too.” His breath hitched, thinking on it. In a reassuring way Brian squeezed his hand.

“Well, Summer beat you to it. She talked to Rose, and explained it to her, and apparently asked her permission. Then she petitioned for adoption, and won. So you’ll have to play uncle instead of daddy.”

The idea suited AJ very much. He looked at her again, and knew that Summer would raise her well. She would have the patience to help her heal, and the love to make the child her own. Out of the horror, some things were coming out all right. He tried to shift, and felt pain arc up his leg and through his shoulder.

Some of it must have shown on his face, because Brian was squeezing his fingers again. “Relax, honey. Don’t jostle too much. You were…shot…twice you know.” Just saying the words took effort for Brian. He dropped his head again, pressing their foreheads together. “Oh God, J, I thought I lost you. I thought you were going to die, and I was never gonna see you again. You scared me so bad, playing the hero. You stupid, stupid fool.”

AJ smiled and tipped his head enough to press his lips lightly to Brian’s. “I love you too.” He whispered.

There had been horror, and pain. But they had made it out of there. They were alive. AJ would never forget the woman who had died, or the clerk who had died first. Part of them would stay in his heart for a long time. Yet the rest of him celebrated. He was here with the love of his life, and his family was all alive and well. They had made it.


End file.
